Right vs. Left from UVU students

Young people are the voice of the future. Come November, they can be the voice of the next four years.

With the US Presidential Elections coming up this year, talk of candidates and political issues can be heard buzzing on Twitter feeds, TV stations, news headlines and even the lips of college students. Using an informal poll of 42 students in the Student Center, the UVU Review tapped into the political buzz here on campus, unveiling some unique results.

Students polled were first asked, “If you had to vote for U.S. President today, who would you vote for?”

Several students seemed undecided and struggled to select a candidate. Others spoke their choice without hesitation. A total of 64.3 percent of students polled said they would vote for Mitt Romney if they had to vote today. Diverging from the rest of the nation, not a single student said they would vote for Newt Gingrich. However, Gingrich currently has the lead in the running for Republican candidate.

Although Romney was the clear favorite with UVU students, most polls, as compiled by RealClearPolitics.com, show that Obama would beat Romney in a general election.

The next question students were asked was, “What is the most important political issue to you?”

Many students struggled and hesitated with an answer. However, in the end, 54.8 percent of students polled said that the economy was the most important issue to them. This result was not surprising, especially in light of the 8.5 percent national unemployment rate, as reported for December 2011 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

None of the students polled chose “foreign policy” as the most important political issue to them. This may suggest that, at least for UVU students, the November elections will be determined by issues closer to home.

Coming in second and third place respectively were health care and education. Three students selected “other” as the most important political issue to them. When asked what issue they thought was most important, one of these students said abortion, another said the environment and the last said the legalization of marijuana.

The final question students polled were asked was, “How often do you consume information about the presidential election and candidates?”

Most students appeared to be frequently informed on these matters, with 23.8 percent consuming information on the presidential election and candidates daily, and 45.2 percent of students polled consuming such information weekly. In a day of ubiquitous mass media, this isn’t hard to imagine. Nevertheless, 11.9 percent of students polled said that they never consume information about the presidential election or candidates.

This informal poll only brushed the surface of political life at UVU. However, even with this glimpse, people can know a little about the voices helping to decide the future.

For more information on presidential candidates, go online and visit 2012.presidential-candidates.org. This website provides links to the campaign websites of each of the candidates.